The Wolf Side: A Mirror and a Frame 10
by rokchichomesickg
Summary: Virginia enters a Shepherdess competition and wins the mirror. Wolf is accused of murder.


Eventually the screams died out and Wolf was left in silence with the rabbit. He could hear her little heart thrumming in her chest. He could smell her blood. His mouth watered. . . _No!_ He squinched his eyes shut and shook his head. At this moment, he cursed those self-help books. _They haven't helped me at all!_ He whined, thinking of Virginia. _She probably hates me now._ He groaned. _I _am_ an animal_. He looked down at the rabbit and his mouth filled with saliva again. His hands burned; he could _feel_ his blood running hot. He didn't know if he wanted to devour the rabbit here and now, howl at the moon, or just find Virginia and. . . he shook his head, his heart racing. _I will never hurt Virginia. I will never hurt Virginia_, he chanted silently. He looked down at the rabbit. His frustrations had to go somewhere, and who would miss one little rabbit. Her little nose twitched, her black eyes wide. He could smell her fear. He tried not to enjoy it too much when he snapped her neck. Wolf looked from the small, dead creature to his hands. He felt powerful.

He felt much better after he'd eaten the rabbit, so he went in search of Virginia and Tony. He found them at a place called The Baa Bar. He grinned, thinking of sheep. Wolf felt so full of energy! He bounded into the bar, gasping when he saw the table in front of Tony and Virginia was laden with food. The golden dog Prince was at Tony's side.

"Start without me, why don't you," he said playfully, putting his hands on their shoulders. He ran around the table and took a seat. Everyone was looking at him curiously, but Wolf didn't notice.

"Should you be in bed," asked Virginia. _What a silly idea!_

"Bed? No! I feel bounding with energy! I feel full of _life!_" He let his hands fly up in a dramatic gesture, not taking his eyes off the food. He tore a piece of meat from his plate and began to eat, growling.

"Where's the rabbit," asked Virginia. Wolf decided to be coy.

"What rabbit's that," he asked, barely taking his mouth away from the rib he was gnawing.

"The one I gave you to cuddle," replied Virginia.

"Goodness me," he said playfully, "she must have hopped away." He didn't meet her eyes. He was ravenous, stuffing more of the beef in his mouth. A woman approached him, probably the owner of the bar, or his wife.

"Oh, my," she giggled, "you've got an appetite like a wolf, you have." Wolf growled at her, defending his plate. He didn't want her to take it yet. Virginia and Tony were staring at him oddly. The woman turned to them.

"Oh, by the way folks. Judge has just walked in, if you want to talk to him," she said.

"Thank you," they said. Wolf wasn't paying attention. He was trying to get the last little bit of meat from the bone. Tony and Virginia left him to his meal. He cleared his plate, only a little satisfied. He felt like he could eat a whole herd of sheep. . . but it'll do for now. Somewhere in the room, girls' voices started singing a yodel. He looked around for the source, his stomach pinching when he saw the shepherdesses. Wolf went over to them, admiring the way they were swaying back and forth. It made him hungry. Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. He gasped when he saw it was the shepherdess they'd met earlier, Sally Peep. She was holding a jar of sweets.

"You're new, aren't you," she simpered.

"Yeah," he said, wiping his mouth on the edge of his shirt.

"I can't get these sherbet dips undone. Could you help me, Mr. . . ?" Wolf took the jar of sweets. Hmm. . . he couldn't give her his name, it would give away everything!

"Well, I. . .um. . ."

"Yeah, what is your name," said a girl over Sally's shoulder. He said the first thing that came to mind.

"Wolfson." The girls giggled.

"Wolf. . . son," giggled Sally. _Uh-oh_. The lid of the jar popped off then.

_"Warren_ Wolfson," he said, presenting the jar of sweets.

Sally moved around so her back was against a support beam.

"It's my eighteenth birthday today. Bet you can't guess what's going to happen to _me_ tonight," she giggled. Ooh! A game! He gasped, closing his eyes and turning around in a crouch.

"Is it the bumps," he guessed. When she didn't answer he looked behind him. Sally and her friend were staring at his behind.

"What's that sticking out the back of your trousers," she asked curiously. "It's _quite_ a bulge!" He put his hand on his backside, covering his tail. He had no answer. He stood, running his hand through his hair.

"I think I must get going," he said formally. "I think I left a chop on my plate." He moved to walk past them, but he was greeted by a few angry men with pitchforks. _This can't be good_. They grabbed him and pushed him against the support beam.

"No outsiders mess with the Peep girls, do you understand," demanded one of them. He whimpered.

"What are you doing 'round here anyway, Mr. _Wolfson_," asked the one with the pitchfork. He tried to answer, but the man who was pushing him against the support beam interrupted.

"Let's take him out back," he suggested, tugging on Wolf's shirt and pushing him against the wall.

"_Excuse me_, what are you doing to my husband," said a lovely female voice. _Virginia_. He felt his eyes roll in the back of his head as he closed them, taking a sharp inhale of breath to steady himself. He felt as if he were going to fall apart. . . but he also felt as if he were stronger, made of stone. There was a stirring deep in the pit of his stomach, and he tried to control it. That would be embarrassing. . .

"Your husband," asked the man, incredulous. She ran her hands through Wolf's hair and again he shattered, a warmth building deep within him.

"Yes! He's not at all well today, and I must take him home right now," she said, looping her arm in his. She pulled him away from the angry men. "Thanks. Goodnight," she told them. Wolf let her push him toward the door, but he could contain himself no longer.

"Oh, Virginia, when you said I was your husband, I went all hard and soft at the same time," he said gleefully. He was having trouble keeping himself composed. He let his head tilt to the side, gazing fondly at her.

"I only said that to get you out of here," she said. She looked annoyed. _Who cares? She called me her husband! Maybe she's not so against the idea, after all_. She pushed him toward the door and he complied. They went for a walk in the moonlight. He bounded all around her, showing off a little. Everything was clear. He could smell the dew on the grass, hear the field mice. . . he felt he could see past the horizon.

"I feel so _alive_. I can see _everything_ for miles," he said, pulling her into a quick hug and then releasing her just as quickly. She giggled in amusement. He stopped when he saw the moon.

"Look at the moon," he told her. "Doesn't it just want to make you howl? It's so-o-o-o _beautiful_," he let off a quiet howl.

"Not really," scoffed Virginia. He paid no mind.

"My mama was always obsessed with the moon. She used to drag us out, just to watch it when we were cubs." He smiled fondly at the memory and began to sing the song his mother taught him. "_Shepherdess makes quite a mess, but little lambs are lovely_." He grinned as Virginia moved around to face him. "The moon makes me hungry for everything."

"Time to go to sleep," said Virginia softly, grabbing his arm. She began to drag him back toward the barn; he stared at the moon, his feet tripping over themselves, only looking away when it was covered by the trees. He felt the pull in his stomach again. Was Virginia putting him to bed? She didn't seem like it; he couldn't smell her pheromones. He bounded into the barn, a little agitated.

"_Do you have any idea what you do to me_," he demanded. He wanted to touch her, to kiss her. His hands flew up of their own accord, but he reined them in. "You will never know love like mine," he said, softer this time. "I am your _mate for life_." He found himself inching closer to her. How could he get her to understand. Virginia rolled her eyes.

"Wolf, you don't even know what you're saying," she said, amused. This angered Wolf. "I know you're feeling –"

"Oh, you _know_, do you," he demanded, his voice rising. Virginia's eyes widened and she began to move around the barn, not turning her back to him. Good. "You know everything, don't you? You're Little Miss Perfect, who can stick up her hand and answer every question, but knows _nothing_," he spat. He stayed on the other side of the barn's support beams. He wanted her to understand; maybe she would understand if he frightened her. "You're pretending to live, Virginia! You're doing everything but actually _living_!" She couldn't see it, but he could. Her heart was thrumming in her chest; he could smell a hint of adrenaline. . .and something else. He paused for a moment then shouted, "You're driving me crazy!" There. He said it. He had never felt so out-of-control around a woman before, and he didn't know if he liked it or not.

Virginia scurried away from him.

"Stop bullying me! I don't like it!" She moved past him and he caught whiff of her scent. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. The stirring feeling in his stomach was back. His heart pounded in his chest as he opened his eyes.

"Now go to bed," demanded Virginia. "Now!" Her eyes were wide. She seemed uncertain.

"Or _what_," he growled, sensing her fear. "Will you scream?" His chest tightened. "That's what most people do when they see a wolf. They scream and scream and scream," his voice was rising with every word. Virginia suddenly grabbed a pitchfork. Wolf gasped softly, slowly.

"What are you going to do, stick it in me?" His voice was deadly soft. "That's what _everybody_ does when there's a wolf around," he pushed the pitchfork aside, surprising her, "they stick it, and they stab it, and they smoke it out!" She didn't let go of it, so he used it to push her against one of the support beams. She was looking at him as if she'd never seen him before. _Good. Let her understand. _"That's what they did to my parents," he told her, tossing the pitchfork aside. "The good people, the nice _farmers_!" He was sure his eyes were wide now, as he was remembering the smell of their charred flesh. They hadn't let him save them and now he was alone. . . until he met Virginia. The look on her face showed open fear, mingled with pity. "They made a great, big fire and burnt them _both_!" He snarled at her, aware of their close proximity.

"Hey!" Tony came bursting through the door, snapping Wolf out of his lesson with Virginia. He could sense her relief. It made his stomach clench uncomfortably.

"Guess what I found. I know why the Peeps win everything," said Tony excitedly. Wolf didn't bother looking back at Virginia or answering Tony. Instead, he bounded past him and ran out the door. _Well, that's that_, he thought. _She's afraid. She'll never be mine now_. He rammed the heel of his palm into his temple several times in panic.

"Fine mess. Fine mess. _Fine_ mess. Now she _hates_ you," he said to himself. His eyes pricked as he started to cry. "Now she hates you. Because you're an animal. You're an animal! You don't deserve her! Oh, you're a nasty animal!" He pointedly looked at his reflection in a trough of water. "You're a nasty, _nasty_ animal! Animal," he yelled at himself in anguish.

"Who are your companions_,_" came the Queen's silky voice, her face forming in the water.

"I'm not telling you anything about her," Wolf cried.

"Her?" Tears sprung freely to his eyes and he closed them, slamming his palm against a pole. _Stupid! Stupid Wolf!_ "What's she like? Is she. . . tasty?" Wolf leaned over the trough, shaking his head.

"You're evil," he said in a low voice. "Stay away from me!"

"Look at the moon," said the Queen. He did. Her image was there, on the moon. "Then tell me what you'd really like to do to her. And let the wolf. . . out." All the muscles in Wolf's body seemed to tense at once. He struggled to keep the animal caged, but it was clawing to get free. Frustrated, he grabbed a clump of dirt and grass, throwing it into the trough. He growled and ran. He didn't know where he was going; he just had to get away from Virginia so she would be safe.

The next morning Wolf awoke in the middle of a field. Bloody feathers littered the ground beside him. _What have I done?_ He tried to remember. Last evening was confusing, and there was a fuzziness to his thoughts. He knew he probably looked like a vagabond. What to do. He didn't know if he could face Virginia – that much, he remembered. But then. . . if all he did was kill a few chickens, then she was safe. He had to make sure.

Back at the barn, Virginia was still asleep. He wanted to kiss her forehead, to stroke her cheek, but he abstained. He needed rope to keep her safe – lots of rope. When Tony burst through the door he had to hide; he didn't know how he would be received. Tony and Virginia were saying something about a sheep. . . and a Shepherdess Competition. . . the mirror. . . he couldn't keep up. His thoughts were too muddled. Suddenly Virginia pulled aside the cloth he was hiding behind. He looked at her, panicked and panting; his hands were clutching a piece of rope near his face.

"Hello," he said, dazed and panting.

"How are you feeling," asked Virginia in a soft voice. He blinked and shook his head.

"Not. . . not too good. Everything's. . . hazy at the moment. He hit his temple with the heel of his hand. "Ah! I must _fight_ what I am! I can't even remember what I've done. You'd better tie me up. That way I can't escape!" He put his back against a support beam, clutching the rope. _Yes, this might work_. _If I can't get free, I won't hurt Virginia_. Her scent alone was driving him over the edge.

"What do you mean, tie you up," asked Virginia, incredulous.

"Tie me up," Wolf shouted. "Stop me escaping! Which part don't you understand?" For the first time that morning, he looked at her. Her lovely blue eyes were wide and frightened, her mouth gaping in surprise.

"Alright," she said, taking the rope from him. He felt both relieved and tense at the same time. She was too close and her scent did things to him. He tried not to think about that as she tied his hands behind his back.

"Tighter," he growled. "_Tighter_." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Tighter! If I struggle, I can get free." She came around front to bind his torso and he sighed in relief.

"What's the worst thing _you've_ ever done," he asked her in a low voice. She looked up at him but said nothing. "Tighter," he said, vaguely aware that his voice had turned husky, "or I'll eat you up." She looked up at him fearfully. He could smell her attraction to him. Why couldn't she just admit it?

He was left alone in his agony, his body twitching. His humanity was slipping, he could feel it. It was hard for him to think of anything – except Virginia. She must be kept safe. His insides writhed and pinched.

"Kill the girl," commanded the Queen's voice. He saw her face again in a water trough. At that moment he felt like he was being ripped apart at the seams.

"No!" he cried. "No," his voice choked with a sob.

"Get me the dog! _Do it_!" The Queen was losing her patience. Wolf felt his muscles expand. _Not now. I've come too far_. But it was too late. His head whipped to the side as his eyes flashed green. He groaned. His face contorted in agony as his fangs pushed through his gums. He let out a strangled cry as the muscles in his neck bulged. He couldn't fight anymore; he was too tired. He had to give into it. He stared forward, a confident, dangerous alpha. There was no going back, no holding onto his humanity. All he had now was his killer instinct. He growled, straining against the ropes. They snapped as if they were twigs. A wicked grin crossed his face. It was easy to avoid the farmers; they were in the town square for the Shepherdess Competition. He stalked around the meadows, following the scent of sheep.

"Time to kill. . . time to kill," he muttered to himself. "Oh, what am I going to do. Nice day." He gasped, hiding behind a bush to watch a pair of shepherdesses skip through the field holding hands and giggling.

"No, no," he said. "I am calm. I'm serene. I am calm and serene. I am very, very serene–" he gasped, watching the girls' behinds as they skipped away. "I am very, very serenely _hungry_."

He wanted to give into it so badly. He hopped over the fence to follow them and stopped in his tracks.

"No! Think of Virginia," he mumbled, turning away before he could do any damage. He ran as far as he could until he could bear it no longer. He paused beside a large post, hiding behind it. He was too close to town. He smelled her before he saw her. Sally Peep past him, sobbing and pouting. He grabbed his head, trying to hold on to himself, but the wolf was too strong. He growled, baring his teeth. Sally was weak. Sally was alone. He felt his feet shuffling toward her, but he stopped himself by falling to the ground. If he was on the ground then maybe he couldn't move far enough to kill her. He stayed that way until she was far enough that he couldn't hear her sobs anymore. It took all his willpower to stand and turn in the opposite direction. Where could he go? How could he keep Virginia safe? Leaving her was not an option. He felt he would die of a broken heart. He would endure this – for her.

In the distance he heard the shrill scream of a girl. His eyes widened in surprise. Wolf went to check out the source of the sound. Her blood was everywhere. He inhaled deeply and tried to resist, but the wolf was too strong. He leaned over her and crouched, licking his lips. Maybe he wouldn't be the one to kill, after all.

Suddenly a crowd of angry men with pitchforks was upon him. He stood up, disoriented. What just happened. They grabbed him, dragging him to the center of town. When he realized what was happening he struggled against them. It took at least eight of them to subdue and drag him into town.

"No, you don't understand. I didn't do it! I can't go to town – Virginia's there! No!" But they didn't listen. Farmers never do.

"Sally Peep's been murdered," announced one of them once they reached the town square. Wolf heard an audible gasp of shock. "We caught him red-handed!"

"You've got the wrong guy," defended Wolf. "I didn't do _nothing_!" He felt a fist come into contact with his middle and he groaned.

"Murderer!" came the cries of angry villagers. He caught sight of Virginia and Tony's confused faces. He was mildly surprised to see the Prince was no longer made of gold. Right now, he was more concerned for his life.

"Virginia! Virginia," he called to her, struggling against the farmers. They beat him, but he held on to her face. "I didn't do it! Virginia!" He only wanted her to know that he was innocent. She threw her hands up on her head in panic. Tony was frowning. The villagers took Wolf to a cell and shoved him in unceremoniously. He felt a lump forming in his throat.

He sat there for an hour, alone and despairing. Why hadn't Virginia come to see him yet? He watched out of the window as the villagers bundles of brush to start a fire. _The Gypsy woman was right_, he thought sadly. Suddenly he caught Virginia's scent and she came into view.

"Virginia! There's been a terrible mistake," he told her in a panicked voice. What must she think of him right now? She looked like she was in anguish.

"Look, Wolf. . . we're going home," she said. Wolf felt all the air leave his chest. This hurt worse than the beatings did. He'd done it – he'd lost her. Forever. He may as well die now.

"_Huff-puff_! You can't!" She shifted, hopping on the balls of her feet as she did when she was nervous. Her face was full of anguish and pity.

"Look, we don't belong here," she said, her voice cracking.

"No," he whined.

"And whatever mess you've gotten yourself into, it has nothing to do with us –" She cut off her sentence when she saw Wolf was crying. Tears were streaming down his face and he was whining. Virginia was leaving him. . . when he needed her the most, she was leaving him. She frowned.

"Please, don't cry. I – look, nothing you can say is ever going to change my mind," she said. He let out a questioning whine, trying to catch his breath. The lump in his throat got bigger and he seemed to accept his fate. Virginia looked at him sternly. Why was she looking at him like that? What was he going to do? Should he ask for a last request? He was going to die. . . _I'm going to die_. _Like my parents_. He looked at Virginia, trying to memorize her face. He was never going to see her again. He cleared his throat.

"Can I ask you for something," he asked her, his desolation making him brave. She nodded.

"Of course," she said warily. Wolf gulped, trying to still the ragged breaths from crying.

"Will you smile for me, Virginia?" Her eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Just once, Virginia, please," he begged. She forced the corners of her mouth to turn upwards in a small smile. He stared at her, memorizing her smile. This is the image he would take with him to his death.

"Thank you," he whispered. He couldn't bring himself to look away from her face. Virginia stiffened, her eyes narrowing. Her mouth was set in that thin line that meant she was determined about something. He cocked his head to the side, tear still pricking his eyes.

"You are _not_ going to die today," said Virginia sternly. Wolf gulped. Did he just hear her say that, or did he imagine it?

"What," he croaked.

"You're not going to die. I'm going to get you out of this." Wolf's heart jolted a little with hope. _She does care_. Without another word, Virginia turned on her heel and stalked off somewhere.


End file.
